Process of making smokeless powders.



"-,accomplished by various means and has been heretofore deemednecessary, in order to render the nitrocellulose soluble for the- UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

mums s. xounnarmrr, or wrnmmeron, DELAWARE, assrenoa or ONE-HALF 'ro 3mmnnnnnnn'rz, new YORK, N. Y.

1,212,170.- lo i To it may concern:

it known that I, Dmrrain'S. Konrad rmrr, a subject 'of Russia, residingat Wilmin'gton, in the county of New Castle,'State 5 of Delaware,have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Processes ofMakin Smokeless Powders; and-I do here-- i'a cellulose which has beengelatinized. Aftertreating the cotton-wool or cellulose with nitricacid, it has'been considered necessar to thoroughly wash the endproducts witi water, so as to "thoroughly remove anytrace ofthe freeacids which would be undesirable. and dangerous in the further treatmentof the nitrocellulose. As a result the nitro- "cellulose. is obtainedin. awet condition. Whileit is in such wet condition the nitrocelluloseis usually subjected to the well "known process of centrifuging afterthe --i:iitroee'llulose still contains a certain degree -of-moistureaveraging from to t has. heretofore been considered necesan initial stet subject the nitro' ulose, after centri uging, to various proccases ofeither thorough or partial drying 'or dehydration. The process of eitherthorough or partially drying or dehydrating the nitrocellulose, aftercentrifuging, has been purpose'of'bringingit into a conditionrenitrocellulose and ether for making an'alcohol ether smokeless-powder.Another cominonly used method has been to treat the nitrocellulose withalcohol by percolation with pressure. In all instances, thesevarious'processes of either thoroughly or partially drying thenitrocellulose, aftercent-rifuging, or drying, or treating thenitrocellulose with alcoho by percolation with pres- Sure, are,expensive and take up a great deal 6f time. a

I have discovered thatit is not necessary to remove any further part ofthe moisture V the nitrocellulose, after its centrifugquired for thepropergelatinization of the l O! ILKINQ BMOKELESS POWDERS.

p lpe cllcation ct mar-32mm. Avbllcati on flied November 18, 1916.Serial No. 51,668.

" Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

iiig, and that, in fact, the moistureremaim ing in the nitrocellulose,after such centriiugin not only does not harm the degree of so ubility,but, on the contrary, will greatly facilitate and improve it.

new and improvedprocess there-fore,

the following proportions: To each 100 lbs.

of nitrocellulose about 7 5 lbs. of alcohol and ether, one part alcoholand two parts ether. This admixture added as described, will bring aboutthe condition required for the proper gelatinization of thenitrocellulose and ether for the purpose of making an alcohol ethersmokeless powder.

It is to be understood that the exact pro portion of moisture in the wetor undried nitrocellulose, after centrifuging, for the purpose ofobtaining the most favorable results, may vary with a specificnitrocellulose used, as this is not at all times an abso lutely uniformproduct, which variations are well known to those skilled in the art.Similarly, therefore, changes may be made in the details of myinvention, without de-.

parting from the spirit thereof.

lclaim: 1. In the art of making smokeless gun and rifle. )owders, fromnitrocellulose, that step whic .consists in adding alcohol and ether tothewet nitrocellulose, unsubjected to any other process of drying ordehydration except centrifuging, for the purpose of bringing about thecondition required for the proper gelatinization necessary to-pro ducean alcohol ether smokeless powder.

2. In the art of making smokeless gun and rifle powders, fromnitrocellulose, that step which consists in adding alcohol and ether tothe wet nitrocellulose, after centrifuging, without subjecting suchnitrocellulose to any other process of-either thorough or partial dryingor dehydration, or to any process of drying with alcohol by percolationwith pressure, for the purpose ofbringin about. the condition requiredfor the proper gelatinization necessary to producean alcohol ethersmokeless powder.

3. In the art of making smokeless gun and rifle powders, fromnitrocellulose. that step which consists in adding simultaneouslyalcohol and ether to the wet nitrocellulose, immediately aftercentrifuging. without subjecting such nitrocellulose to any otherprocess of either thorough or partial drying or clelrrdration. or to anyprocess of drying with alcohol by percolation with pressure. for thepurpose of bringing about the eoiulition required for the propergelatnnzation necessary to produce an alcohol ether smokeless powder.

1n testnnony that I claim the loregoing as my invention, 1 have. signedmy name in presence of two suljiscriblug mtnesses.

DMIIRIE S. KONDRAIIEFF.

Witnesses:

